


turn on the light Switch

by RoamingSignals



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mark has a Big Gay Crush, Meet-Cute, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 17:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17922827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoamingSignals/pseuds/RoamingSignals
Summary: Mark meets Haechan either at a college party or on the childhood playground, depending on who you ask.





	turn on the light Switch

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I'm Rome and this is my trash heap. Welcome.
> 
>  
> 
> This is partially inspired by me not knowing Donghyuck's real name for over a month.

Mark likes going to parties, if only because he likes meeting friends and having fun, but he doesn't feel inclined to indulge much tonight, and there's nothing else to do right now other than drink and watch people get to third base on the couch beside him.

So he stands up, wipes his hands down his pants, and says, "Anyone want anything?"

Yerim looks up from the floor where she's checking her Instagram and replies, "Bring Sookyung some water."

"I don't need it!" Sookyung, whom Mark has only just met and seems both very cool and very drunk, whines from where she's laying on the floor. "I have never had alcohol in _my life_." Clearly this is a lie, because she has two and a half empty drinks sitting on either side of her on the floor, but no one really argues.

At least now Mark has a purpose. He gets jittery sitting still, and drinking helps even it out, but he's had a few drinks already and thinks another might be pushing his luck. He can hold it, probably, but the last time he overindulged Taeyong had to pick him from an empty public pool in the middle of the winter.

Doyeon is in the kitchen mixing something that's radioactive green, even though she already has a full cup beside her that looks like Fanta mixed and a good portion of vodka. "Mark!" she shouts, too loud. They don't know each other well, but Mark's happy she's excited to see him. "Want some?" she asks, violently shaking the cocktail shaker. Her face is flushed and her hair is out of place, but she's grinning wildly.

"It's pretty good," someone else says, holding up their own solo cup that's almost glowing green. The boy is sitting on the counter, kicking his feet back and forth like a child, but the look on his face is wicked. "Not sure what's in it."

"Me either," Doyeon admits, tossing back her old cup and dripping orange onto her sparkly top.

The stranger takes a pointed sip of his drink and hands her a napkin.

She blots at her lipstick instead, dying white to red before wiping it off of the rim of her cup and pouring out the fresh cocktail in glass sitting out on the table. The stain on her shirt is either unnoticed or ignored. "Have you guys seen Yoojung? I lost her."

Mark doesn't know who Yoojung is.

"She's outside, I think," says the boy sitting on the counter.

Doyeon grabs her cup and the fresh cocktail and heads outside without another word, crumpled red-stained napkin sitting forgotten by the sink for the host to clean up.

"I don't know who Yoojung is," the boy admits, taking another drink.

He's a pretty boy, and Mark is drunk enough to let himself notice. His hair is dyed light brown and there's dark makeup around his pretty eyes. Gloss is smudged on the lip of his cup, and Mark wonders what his mouth looked like before the makeup came off. He wonders flavor it is.

"I like your makeup," Mark says.

"Thank you. Do you know anything about makeup?"

"I wore eyeliner once." Mark laughs at his own answer. His hands flutter around his waist, desperate for something to do. He came in here for a reason but he can't remember. "It wasn't pretty but I still have both eyes."

"So you're an expert, then?" The stranger sets the cup to the side and leans forward, closing his eyes in expectation. "Tell me about my makeup."

Mark isn't smooth enough for this. "Uh." _Oh my God_. "It's really pretty and, uh..."

"Oh," the boy groans in exaggerated disappointment. He expressive, his mouth twisting into something cartoonish, but he's cute so he can get away with it. Mark doesn't know if he could get away with making a face like that. "Bad review of your review. My face should inspire you."

"You look really pretty," Mark finishes, lame and honest.

The stranger is appeased, clicking his tongue. "Well, at least someone notices my efforts." He looks up at Mark slyly. "Want a drink?" He holds out his cup.

"Uh." Not really but also yes because he's very parched. "Gatorade." Like that's an answer. _Get it together_. Seriously, it's like Mark has never seen a pretty boy before. The world is filled with pretty boys. He's lives with pretty boys.

Mark hides behind the open fridge door for an entire three minutes but when he shuts it, Gatorade in hand, the boy is still there and he is, unfortunately, still pretty.

His hands find something to do twisting off the lid of the bottle, but he still feels jittery. Mark wonders if maybe he _should_ take the cup, to drown the anxiety a little longer, but he's already opened his drink so he takes a sip. "I'm Mark," he says, because he can't think of anything else.

The boy gives him an odd look. "I know?"

Mark looks at him, eyes wide. "Oh, cool." _Get it the fuck together._ "Uh, from school, or?"

He won't say that no one has ever heard of him on campus — in the music department he's well known, if only because he's everywhere, and he's friends with a lot of the TAs and graduate students. He'd stopped in the administration office the other day and Taeyong had busied over him as usual, and even though Mark is a lowly underclassman enough people know Taeyong that seeing him interact fondly with anyone is worthy of the rumor mill. Taeyong is beautiful and intimidating in equal measure, even if he's mostly just shy and the only people he talks to regularly are the professors mentoring him and the old ladies in admin.

Still, the boy makes a face, pursing his lips. He squints at Mark before taking a long, pointed sip of his drink, and then the face is gone and he's raising his eyebrow. "Doyeon just said your name like five minutes ago."

This is true. "Sorry."

The boy just shrugs. His black shirt hangs off one shoulder, the neck either old and stretched out or just fashionably loose, and Mark kind of regrets when the stranger fixes it because he only notices how much skin was showing once it's gone. "Don't apologize."

It's quiet. It's quiet in an awkward way, and the guy isn't throwing Mark a raft, or a twig, or help of any sort. "What's your name?"

The stranger grins, like that's what he was waiting for. "Sure you won't forget it in the morning?"

Mark's face feels hot. "I'm not that drunk."

"Maybe I am." He tosses back the rest of the cup. "Call me Haechan."

 

* * *

 

Mark does not, in fact, forget Haechan's name in the morning, nor does he forget drinking whatever Doyeon had poured in his cup, because when he wakes up his head aches and he wants to scream with embarrassment.

He didn't even get Haechan's number.

"My son," Johnny says wisely, handing him a cup of coffee and a handful of aspirin. "For you. You're welcome."

"Thank you," Mark says dutifully, followed by a confused, "wait, what are you doing?"

Mark lives in the dorms on campus, a two-person room with bunk beds and bad AC, and Mark doesn't actually see his roommate that often but he knows that it's not Johnny. Johnny lives fifteen minutes from campus with Chanyeol, a coworker at the radio station he works at, which doesn't explain why he's _here_ , in Mark's bedroom, sitting on the floor notating music.

Johnny holds up a paper. "I'm notating music," he says solemnly.

"But why are you _here?_ " Mark tries again. He tries to sit up in bed and groans, and he downs the pills with a swig of coffee, even if it's a little too strong and doesn't want to go down. Water would have been better, but it's Johnny.

Johnny hums, frowning at his papers for a moment. "Your other father was a little worried when you called him crying because..." He squints up into the fluorescent light. "'I met a pretty boy and he left and now I'm drinking my feelings.'"

Mark flops back down on the bed and suffocates himself with the pillow.

 

* * *

 

Taeyong might have been a little worried, if only because he's always worried about Mark, but he hadn't been nearly as drunk as he sounded on the phone; just extremely disappointed.

"How do I be charming?" Mark asks. "I need to be charming by the next time I meet him or I'll die."

Taeyong looks up from his cheeseburger, lost.

"Why are you asking him?" Yoonoh asks. "He doesn't even know he's pretty."

"Fuck off," Taeyong murmurs into his food before taking another bite. "You are charming," he tells Mark. "You're a very lovable person."

He's a lovable person because he's an idiot, but Mark doesn't say that. "I don't want to be lovable, I want to get his number."

Mark remembers when Haechan had slipped down off the counter and Mark realizes he was wearing his giant black t-shirt tucked into leather pants and short-wired. Haechan had asked if he wanted to dance and Mark had just stared at him, drinking his Gatorade, until it got awkward enough the other boy just shrugged and left.

Thinking about it makes him want to die, high-key.

Dongyoung looks up flatly from grading his papers. "What are you going to do when you get his number? Drink Gatorade at him?"

Yoonoh choking on his soda masks the sound of Mark's head hitting the table.

 

* * *

 

Mark only knows all of the graduate students because he's lived in town his entire life. When he was in high school he was already taking music theory classes at the university, and when he was old enough to apply, he was granted enough scholarship money that he didn't have to kill himself going to such a prestigious school, at least as far as finances go. He still has to kill himself in the normal college student ways: staying up too late, finishing papers the night before, getting up for 8am classes he regrets taking, failing to balance school and a social life.

Taeyong and Johnny were freshman when baby Mark had his mom drop him off on campus for the first time, completely overwhelmed. It was a small lecture, an introductory music course that Mark's advisor had recommended he take when he mentioned he was already producing some of his own music. There were more people in the hall than in the classes at his high school, but the biggest issue was the pace. There was so much more information in that class than in the ones Mark was used to. He's lucky in a lot of ways that he was sitting next to Taeyong who was sitting next to Johnny who was a classical pianist and already knew most of it already. They'd cooed and taken Mark under their wing and never let him leave.

 

* * *

 

In some ways, being friends with all the overachievers in the music department is the worst thing that's ever happened to him, because he's also an overachiever, and they're all enablers.

That leads to Mark taking extra classes just because he wants to and oh, Yoonoh loved this course, and Taeyong thinks this professor would be a great reference if Mark wants to get into production, and Taeil is just a TA but if you take his course you'll learn more than if you take it with Dr. Song next year.

Which leads to Mark oversleeping and cutting through the student center trying to make it to class on time. He'd been up trying to transfer his lecture notes onto his computer before remembering that Professor Wang needed the notation from last week in his mailbox by his first class in the morning and everything had spiraled downward. Everyone tells him that things will calm down his junior year, but it's hard to be patient when his course schedule actually makes him want to die. It's fine.

Another thing that makes him want to die: running headfirst into a very pretty boy and dropping all of his things and then looking up in a panic to realize it's The Pretty Boy.

Haechan is wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up and he looks much more bearably beautiful now than he was the other day. Admittedly Mark isn't drunk and Haechan is barely looking at him, pulling out one earbud and picking up a handful of Mark's things. "Sorry, man," he says in a rush, handing the stuff to Mark with a bow. "I'm late. So sorry."

He's already halfway out the door when Mark remembers he has a working voice. "Haechan!"

Haechan freezes, hand on the open door to exit the student center, but when he turns around his eyes are huge.

He has very pretty eyes.

"You remembered," he says after a second.

"Where are you going?" Mark asks, because he honestly wants to know, but Haechan just holds a finger to his lips, a wild look on his face, like he's keeping a secret. "Then what's your major?"

Haechan grins then, pushing his weight back against the door until he's fully outside. "Voice!"

And then he's gone.

Mark is very late to his next class, and Professor Qian is very disappointed in him, quickly growing more disappointed when Mark's head is clearly not in the room.

All he can think of is that 1) he still didn't get Haechan's number and 2) he knows a lot of people in the voice program, doesn't he?

Mark grins into his notebook and feels very proud of himself for getting out two complete sentences.

 

* * *

 

**Yoonoh**

HEY do you know a Haechan?

Mark it is very early

It's almost 10!

Unlike you, I'm not a sophomore with early classes  
I'm at the top of the food chain

Well do you?  
Excuse me sorry for waking you but also like this is important

No I don't  
Ask Dongyoung he deals with the babies more than I do  
I only deal with two babies and it's you and Taeyong

* * *

 

Mark asks Dongyoung out for lunch that day, if only because he knows Dongyoung will pay.

Dongyoung doesn't want to leave his house, though, so instead of paying for lunch he cooks.

Dongyoung lives three blocks from campus with an exchange student named Sicheng. Mark thinks Sicheng is cute but also knows nothing about him because he never talks. Dongyoung likes him well, and Yoonoh has mentioned being close to him, but neither of them really know what he's studying, and when Mark asked him Sicheng didn't seem to know either.

When Mark walks through the door, Sicheng is sitting at the kitchen table playing a game on his phone, and he waves at Mark when he comes in, and that's the extent of their interaction. Dongyoung is making fried rice with the kimchi his mother sent him. Mark decides that this was a good decision regardless of the outcome because he's getting free food.

Mark suspects that's how Sicheng feels about living here, too.

When Dongyoung puts the bowl down in front of them, Mark and Sicheng both start scooping large spoonfuls onto their plates before he even sits down. They make eye contact across the table and Mark thinks this is what bonding feels like.

Dongyoung waits patiently until they've had their share, but he gives them both a look when he pulls the bowl closer to himself to serve himself. "So, Mark," he says, tapping the side of the metal spoon against his plate before taking another scoop. "Yoonoh says that this is a purposeful visit."

"It's purposeful because...I love you," Mark says, which is true. He bows awkwardly in his seat. "I'm very thankful for you."

Dongyoung takes an unimpressed bite of fried rice and waits for him to continue.

Mark's cheeks feel red. "Do you know anyone named Haechan?"

"Haechan?" Dongyoung's eyebrows knit. "Like, a student?"

"Yeah." Mark bites his lip. "I think he's probably a freshman or, like maybe my age? But—yeah." Honestly, he knows very little. "He's a voice major."

Dongyoung hums to himself, licking rice from his lip thoughtfully. "Vocal performance? He's probably in my intro class if he's a freshman." His mouth pouts for a moment but then there's the light of recognition and he makes a soft noise. "Wait, Haechan? The name was Haechan or...?"

"That's his name," Mark says, and Dongyoung makes another noise, searching through his phone, and when he shows Mark his screen there he is. "That's him!" Mark shoves his plate aside (completely finished because he knows what he's about) and reaches for Dongyoung's phone before it's pulled out of his grasp. "That's him! You do know him!"

"His name isn't Haechan," Dongyoung says, a little distant, scrolling through his phone.

Mark realizes after the fact that it's not actually a big deal. At the moment it feels like a huge betrayal. "Oh my God." He scoops himself another spoonful of fried rice o eat his feelings. "He hates me."

Sicheng laughs.

"He probably doesn't," Dongyoung says. He's still looking through his phone. "He's a good kid. Annoying, but good-hearted."

Mark leaves Dongyoung house with a full stomach, a nearly broken heart, and SoundCloud link.

 

* * *

 

It's a crush.

Mark decides this when he's scrolling through Haechan's SoundCloud, listening to cover after cover. His voice is sweet and high, but he goes from bubble gum to hip hop to power ballad with alarming ease. Mark spent a single semester as a vocal performance major before he decided to pursue production, but he knows a good voice when he hears one, and Haechan's is very well-developed. Dongyoung must love him, even if he is _annoying_.

He's certainly annoying Mark, because after three hours of scouring the SoundCloud — Dongyoung admitted it the had been created for a class project and the name Haechan was used as a pseudonym— he's all Mark can think about.

So.

It's a crush.

They've met twice.

Mark groans into his hands and starts the playlist over again.

 

* * *

 

**Dongyoung**

Why did you do this to me

You literally asked but alright  
Also I have leftovers do you want them

Yes I am on my way thank you for all that you do

 

* * *

 

Mark falls in like easily.

It kind of sucks. He's not a romantic the way Johnny is, and he's not exactly affection-starved, but everything he does he does one of two ways: without any real effort or with every bone in his body. When he likes someone, it's fast and shocking, like a tide, except that Mark isn't a romantic, so all he does is suffer.

His most notable crush was on beautiful and intimidating Taeyong, who held his hand through his first university level course even when he was also still learning, and was wonderfully shy and genuine the more Mark got to know him. He seemed like such a passionate guy, and Mark was so young and overwhelmed, he supposes it's not much of a surprise.

He had a crush on Johnny too, that lasted approximately two weeks before he saw Johnny on a date with Taeil, who was too old for Mark to really know but talented enough for Mark to recognize. He spent three days writing angsty poetry in his journal before his crush on Taeyong rekindled and everything was fine.

He isn't really sure when that crush officially ended. Maybe Mark just grew out of it.

There are others — a girl in middle school named Jane and a boy named Jaemin, and then way back to his first crush on Donghyuck, the little boy who pushed Mark off of the monkey bars and then cried about it for fifteen minutes before giving Mark his pudding cup. He'd been friends with all of them for some length of time, but he barely sees them anymore, although he thinks Jaemin might have ended up at the same university.

It's the opposite with Haechan; Mark barely sees him during the crush.

It's not for lack of trying. He brings Dongyoung coffee during his freshman level courses, and he goes out to parties like the ones he first met Haechan at, and he follows a link on the SoundCloud to a barely used Instagram featuring aesthetic pictures of campus and the recording studio but there's never a name.

Oddly enough for someone as unlucky as Mark, he meets Haechan again entirely by chance.

At 2am at the corner store by campus, Mark sees him cradling a cup ramen in his hands, waiting for the sky to stop pouring so he can walk back to campus.

"Haechan!" he says, mostly out of shock, the umbrella in his hand momentarily forgotten until the rain starts soaking through his hair and pulls it upright again.

Haechan looks up dispassionately, slurping noodles. "You remembered," he says again, tapping his lip a the plastic fork. He's sitting on the wet concrete under an awning, and his brown hair is frizzing with the rain.

"I remembered the last time, too," Mark defends. He feels awkward and lanky, standing over him, but it feels like a commitment to get all the way down to the ground. He's not sure they're there yet. "I can't believe you doubted me."

Even with a mouth full of noodles Haechan still manages to make a face at him. "You seem to be a pretty forgetful guy."

"That's true," Mark admits, because it is true. And then, like a man possessed: "I keep forgetting to ask for your number."

Haechan barely has enough time to do a spit-take of his noodles and look at Mark in shocked before Mark points at his own chest and says, "Wait, _what?_ "

No one answers, but it does start raining a little harder, so God is probably laughing at him.

"Oh, you shocked me," Haechan says, a hand over his chest. "Good job. A hard-won victory." He pushes his wet hair back from his forehead, and Mark thinks he might be blushing but it's hard to tell in the dark.

"I..." Mark scratches his neck. "Why didn't you tell me your real name?"

He feels stupid being so upset about it, especially when it was an offhanded conversation at a party neither of them even remember the host of. At that point, he hadn't even excepted to see Haechan again, and there might not have been a reason for the betrayal, not when Haechan didn't owe him anything. But Haechan had invited him to dance — even if Mark hadn't taken the opportunity.

Mark really wishes he had. If he had, he'd probably be dead right now, and that seems much more convenient.

But Haechan just sighs. "Markie," he huffs cutely, pouting, ridiculous, and Mark hates that his face gets red. "You forgot my name the first time, what was I supposed to do? It's so sad." He dabs at a tear but it's just water dripping down from his hair.

Mark just stands there while Haechan struggles to stand up from the pavement, whining about his back hurting. "Wait, I didn't forget! I remembered twice!"

Haechan takes Mark's hand in his for a quick moment before pressing the finished cup ramen into his palm and grinning. "You knew my name once, you dumb boy." He rolls his eyes. "Can't believe you would ever forget me. I'm wonderful."

"I'm...yes...what?"

Haechan leaves Mark standing at the corner store holding Haechan's trash, and it's another five minutes before Mark remembers he was there to pick up deodorant.

 

* * *

 

"Hey." Yoonoh waves Mark down on campus. "I have a gift for you."

"Oh! Thank you!" Mark says politely, but Yoonoh just gives him a dirty napkin.

"From Dongyoung." Yoonoh grins and waves him off again. "It's a regift!"

Mark doesn't think to unfold it until halfway through his next lecture, and seeing the _Haechannie xoxo~ (xxx)xxx-xxxx_ surprises Mark so much that he shouts in the middle of the lesson.

Dr. Phan doesn't kick him out, but Mark wouldn't have minded. It's not like he's paying attention anyway.

 

* * *

 

 

**Haechannie (?)**

What did you mean that I knew you before????

HmmmmMMMMM  
I'm assuming this is........Jaemin?  
Or Seungkwan?  
(o˘д˘)o  
Chenle maybe?

Oh. It's Mark. Sorry.

It's okay baby I know lmao  
Haechannie knows Everything Always  
Unlike some people

Don't be mean! I'm trying!

Yeah yeah  
I know that too lmao  
Golden boy Mark always tries his best~~  
But he forgot ME ugh he's just the worst

Remind me!!! Are you from high school?

Maybe

:(

Okay okay earlier  
Not high school  
I have to go to lessons bye u3u

 

* * *

 

It's takes approximately three days and Johnny stealing his phone for Mark [read: Johnny] to text Haechan to hang out. When Johnny sends the text message he doesn't even bother reading it aloud because Mark is too busy rolling on the floor to understand the human language.

"It's done," Johnny says solemnly, tossing Mark's phone on the bed. "Johnny to the rescue. You're welcome."

Mark crawls along the floor to pick up his phone. "What did you say?"

Johnny smiles. "I wrote him a sonnet and offered him your hand in marriage."

"Don't be mean, I'm vulnerable." Mark scrolls through his chat with Haechan, but Johnny's text wasn't too bad — _Want to go get coffee some time today? —_ so he isn't angry.

He's just panicking.

Today. Coffee today. "What if he says yes?" Mark wails. That's not nearly enough time to prepare.

"Then you're double welcome." Johnny, at least, looks pleased with himself. They're sitting on his bedroom floor, doing nothing except whining and talking about their current projects. Chanyeol is thumping around outside trying to cook something in the kitchen and Mark is afraid to leave the room. "Let your mentor guide you in this trying time."Johnny bows his head in prayer.

Mark's phone dings — _Okay Markie, if you're paying~~~~~~ xo_ — and he thinks he's going to need it.

 

* * *

 

Haechan doesn't seem to like coffee, but he likes cake and he makes Mark buy it for him. He gets tea instead, adding milk and honey while Mark sips on his iced coffee and absolutely does not stare. "I need to take care of my throat," Haechan says dramatically, pouring more honey in, even though no one asked.

"You said you had lessons yesterday; did you mean vocal lessons?" Mark asks, stirring his drink with his straw. His shoulders are a little stiff but he can't seem to relax them.

"Mmm." Haechan nods in agreement. "With Taeil. Do you know him?"

"Kind of," Mark says, although they've only met a few times. "I know Dr. Huang well, and I saw him in her office."

Haechan purses his mouth. He's wearing gloss today, like he had that first night they met, but other than that he looks like he rolled out of bed, brown hair messy and jacket hanging off of one shoulder. He still looks good. "How do you know Dr. Huang?"

"I was in voice for like...maybe a semester," Mark admits. "I was okay, I guess, but yeah, she was my voice teacher during that time." He scratches his neck awkwardly. "I don't have a, uh, a sweet voice like you."

"Oh ho." Haechan takes a smug sip of his tea and flips imaginary hair over his shoulder. "Flattery. I like it. Tell me more about my sweet voice."

"I just mean, like, your covers are...good, you know?" Mark wants to die. He needed to be charming by now and he's not. He's dying.

Haechan's expression doesn't exactly fall, but the coyness he'd had before washes away too quickly to be natural, leaving something between surprise and confusion. "How found my covers?"

"Dongyoung gave it to me," Mark tells him automatically, before wondering if he misstepped. He laughs into his own hands nervously. "Just kidding. I definitely didn't ask about you and Dongyoung didn't tell me anything."

"Did you like them?" Haechan's voice is small. Mark has never heard him sound small.

He grins. "Yeah. I listened to all of them like a thousand times. At least." It's an understatement. "If I need a vocal for a project would you help me?"

To be fair, it's not a big deal if Haechan says no. He know Yoonoh and Dongyoung and Johnny would all help him, and Taeyong too, although he's busy these days. Mark's own singing voice isn't terrible, but he doesn't love listening to it, which is why he dropped the major in the first place.

Still, it feels like a big question.

So when Haechan picks up his tea and mutters, "I mean, if you asked me I'd say yes, I guess," Mark claps his hands in victory.

"I have projects all the time! This is great, man." He's already thinking of the syllabus. He knows at least three projects he's already working on that he could add vocals into, and another two upcoming assignments that Haechan's voice could be utilized in. "I'll text you!"

"Okay." Haechan's cheeks are pink and Mark just grins bigger.

"If I write you a song will you tell me your real name?" Mark asks earnestly. It's not until the pink turns into red that he realizes he might have been smooth by accident.

"What are you talking about, writing me a song?" Haechan huffs, waving Mark away. "Don't go so far! I just said I would help. You're too forward."

"Come on!" Mark laughs. "I just want to know your real name! You won't tell me. I need it for proper credits." He pouts while he takes a sip of his coffee. "I'll find out eventually."

Haechan barks out a laugh like an anime villain. "As if I would be so easy."

"Give me a hint."

"We—" Haechan stops himself. "No, that might give it away." He hums thoughtfully, ignoring Mark's _That's what I want!_ before snapping his fingers. "Ah! Okay. We're both friends with Jaemin."

Mark blinks. "Jaemin?" Blinks some more. "Wait, _Na_ Jaemin? From _middle school?_ "

It's not incredibly helpful; Jaemin is the kind of guy that makes friends easily, and even if Mark hasn't really seen him often enough to say that they're friends, Jaemin is friends with everyone he's ever met.

In another way it _is_ helpful, because Jaemin and Mark were friends in middle school.

"Oh my God." Mark stares at Haechan with his mouth open. "I knew you in _middle school?_ I thought you meant we like met on the bus once or something?"

Haechan groans dramatically, holding a hand to his heart like he's been shot with an arrow. "That's hurtful." He laughs. "And no, we didn't know each other in middle school."

Mark slumps in his seat. "I hate you."

Haechan just laughs, so they both know it's not true.

 

* * *

 

Sometime between meeting Haechan and now, Mark decides he wants hold him tightly, kiss his cheek, make him smile.

That's all well and good, but Mark doesn't even know his name.

Mark laughs at the irony.

 

* * *

 

Some secrets can be kept forever, but it's clear that Haechan is dying for Mark to figure it out, so it's only a matter of time before someone lets something slip.

Surprisingly, it's not actually Haechan that slips; it's Mark.

Jeno is a nice guy, a freshman with an unassigned major, and seemingly willing to call his roommate by a strange name no questions asked. Mark likes him immediately, if only because he smiles at him so brightly.

Mark and Haechan have been texting a lot, getting lunch a lot, seeing each other a lot, and since Mark is wary of anyone meeting any of his weird older friends ever, they usually either hang out on campus or in Haechan's room. Jeno is not exactly a staple, considering he's a popular guy who likes seeing friends at all times of the day and is thus rarely in the room.

He's there enough that Mark would consider them friends, though, and he's here today because he's holed himself up playing Kingdom Hearts 3 for the past 48 hours.

"Hey, man," he says, eyes bloodshot, but he's still smiling brightly. Mark wonders if he would smile when he was mad too. His mom is like that. It's really terrifying. "D...damn, what's his name? Haechan isn't here." He giggles.

Haechan had texted him ten minutes ago saying he got held up in his lesson and to just order pizza to the room anyway, that Jeno would let him in and Haechan would be there as soon as he could. Covered all his bases, except that now Mark has a semi-delirious Jeno on his hands and no pizza.

"It's okay, man," he says, coming in and dropping off his bag by Haechan's bed. There are posters scattered around of old bands, a framed photograph of Michael Jackson on the dresser like he's a family member. It's Mark's favorite thing. "I'll just chill."

Jeno is a chill guy, but he's friendly, and they start talking before long. Jeno has already had three girlfriends and a boyfriend since the semester started. Mark remembers being a freshman, all of his classmates hooking up for two weeks and then breaking up in a fit of tears, but Jeno seems like he's still having a good time. "It's crazy, nothing like high school."

"It's exactly like high school," Mark admits with a laugh. "People just feel like they need a date more desperately."

"I think I've already kissed more people here than I ever did in high school," Jeno says dreamily. "God, kissing is great."

Mark's last kiss was with...Soohyun, first in the practice rooms at the beginning of last year before her brother found them and put an end to it. She was nice. They only kissed one more time. He wonders how she's doing.

"My first kiss was like..." Jeno makes a face. "It was my fault, you know, like she had kissed people before but it was so stressful."

"How old were you?" Mark asks, curious.

"I was thirteen." Jeno smiles fondly at the memory. "She was really nice about it, even if crawling out from behind the bleachers was annoying as hell." He rubs at his tired eyes and collapses on his bed. "What about you?"

"My first kiss." God. "I was like...seven?"

"What, really?" Jeno laughs. "You're a player! A baby killer. Wait."

Mark laughs. "Maybe not."

"That's so cute, though. Was it a playground romance?" Jeno clutches his heart and his eyes get even softer. "Ugh. I wish."

"It kind of was, I guess?" Mark laughs again. "He pushed me off the monkey bars and then kissed me when I cried." It's a hazy memory at best, but his mom loves telling the story, so he remembers it by heart.

"Did you get like, kid married?" Jeno asks, a wild look in his eyes. "Like, when kids have a wedding on the playground? I love those, they make me want to die."

"We didn't," Mark says in a rush. "We were friends for a while afterwards." He wonders idly what happened to that kid. Mark transferred school right before elementary ended, and he never saw him after that. "His name was Donghyuck."

Mark doesn't really expect much of a reaction — there's no real reason for one, other than maybe a coo — but Jeno's face goes slack. "Donghyuck?"

Mark has the presence of mind to hum affirmatively, but he's confused and Jeno could probably tell if he weren't freaking out. "Yeah, Donghyuck. I haven't seen him since like...it's really been years. We went to different middle schools."

The whole friendship is hazy, if Mark is being honest with himself. Donghyuck was a year behind but it was Mark following Donghyuck around. He was a loud kid, and brave, and those were things that Baby Mark had admired for a long time. His parents bemoaned the trouble they got into, but they liked Donghyuck enough to let him keep coming over. Mark had cried when Donghyuck changed schools.

It's actually a little strange thinking about the first time they met. More than being Mark's first kiss, Mark really considers Donghyuck his first friend.

Haechan walks in the door then, flushed from running in from his classes and with a bag of food in one hand, and before Mark can even say hello Jeno is laughing so hard no one could have heard the greeting anyway.

"H—Haechan." Jeno wipes tears from his eyes. "This is so funny."

They're both mystified. Haechan is standing like a statue in the doorway, bewildered, and Mark just shrugs helplessly when they make eye contact.

"Are those bagels?" Mark asks instead, and Haechan hands over the bag wordlessly.

"Why didn't you tell me about Mark's first kiss?" Jeno asks. "That's adorable? That's the most adorable thing that's happened ever?"

Mark doesn't really think so. There are plenty of other first kiss stories that are cuter, but the blood drains out of Haechan's face and he throws a bagel at his roommate. "How would I know about Mark's first kiss, dipshit? We don't talk about stuff like that because we're not lame."

Still. Mark eats his bagel and thinks about Donghyuck for the first time in years and wonders.

 

* * *

 

"Hey, mom."

"Oh, sweetie, hi." She seems so surprised, even though she's the one that called him, like it's an honor that he picked up the phone. Mark lives on the outskirts of town, maybe forty five minutes away, but since he decided to live on campus he doesn't see his family as often as he could. He wonders who he can guilt to give him a ride home next weekend. Maybe Johnny, if he promises him a free meal. "Oh, it's so good to talk to you. Your brother just left and I'm heartbroken. It's so quiet here."

She doesn't sound heartbroken. "Just say I'm a replacement son and go," Mark says with a grin. He's hanging out in his dorm room, his roommate pittering around on his computer in the bunk above. Mark's in between classes and it's rainy outside and Haechan is in lecture, so seeing his phone light up has brightened his day considerably.

"You're a replacement son," she chirps, and Mark can see the smile on her face even over the phone. "Just this once. I'm having withdrawals. Your father is away and I have an empty nest, it's so sad."

"You should come visit," Mark offers. "We can go get lunch and I can show you the recording studio!" Mark's a sophomore, but switching majors granted him access to a completely new set of buildings and facilities, and he's still starry eyed when he thinks about it.

His mom laughs. "That sounds great. Mostly lunch. There's that café down there that has the falafel? Oof." She pauses. "And of course we can do all the other stuff, too."

"Yeah, yeah." Mark huffs, flopping backwards on his bed. "Hey, I have a question."

"Hold on, let me sit down." There's rustling on the other end of the line and a groan as his mother sinks down on their couch (probably — Mark's heard that sound a million times over the years). "I have old knees."

"You're spry." He really misses home, but he's not going to say as much because he's not a baby. "In the prime of your life."

"Maybe I should also be a college student." She hums. "Anyway, ask away, honey."

Mark scratches his neck awkwardly, even though there's no one around to judge him for what he's about to ask. "Do you remember that kid I used to hang out with?"

There's silence on the other end of the line. "Honey, I'm going to need you to be more specific." She laughs. "You've hung out with several people in the past 19 years."

"Early, early!" His face heats up. "Donghyuck from elementary school."

"Donghyuck..." Mark can hear his mother clicking through channels on the television absently. "Oh, yeah. That cute little boy that always got you in trouble."

It's an understatement.

"What happened to him?"

She makes a noise of confusion. It's nothing like Mark to ask questions about something that happened so long ago. He prefers living in the moment. "You guys just went to different schools, I don't think anything really happened." Another pause, a suspicious one. "Why?"

"I was just, you know, thinking that I don't remember him that much." Mark is wracking his brain for a reason, any reason at all, to explain why he's thinking about this other than the weird feeling in his gut. "He's my first kiss, I feel like that's worth remembering."

"He came to like, all of your birthday parties," his mother muses. "I can look through some albums and find pictures if you want. Oh, you two were so cute. He was so clingy and you hated it." She cackles, almost wicked.

They keep talking about other things, and Mark's classes, about his mother's book club, and his father's job and the girl his mom thinks his brother might be planning on marrying, and it's a nice conversation.

Mark only feels kind of bad that he's the most excited about the pictures, but talking with his mom is always a good feeling, even if his mind is wandering.

 

* * *

 

The next day, his mother texts him photos of his ninth birthday party —  _Look how cute! I made that boy! xoxoxo Mom_  — and Mark almost feels proud of himself.

 

* * *

 

**Haechannie (?)**

What do I get if I guess your name???? uwu

Idk Rumpelstiltskin you tell me????

But I'm on scholarship so that's lame

Bitch  
I'm not giving you shit

Come on come on!! Promise me something if I guess it right

I Will Not  
Because this is suspicious behavior u.u  
Mark be normal challenge: failed

Fine I'll just decide my prize on my own

Mhmmm  
Are we hanging out tonight or not?

 

* * *

 

Haechan throws open the door. "Alright bitches, the alpha is here."

Mark looks around the common room, sees that it's empty save himself, and gives Haechan a look. "I am older than you."

"I said what I said." Haechan drops down onto the couch, close enough that he almost takes out Mark's legs, and then flops over on his side, head in Mark's lap. He snaps. "Garçon, a drink."

"How am I supposed to get you something when you are literally laying on top of me?" Mark demands, but he can't even pretend to be irritated. He's grinning. His hand is already in Haechan's hair.

Haechan just shrugs and makes a face. "You have an extra year of schooling. You figure it out, Mr. Scholarship."

Mark hands Haechan his own drink. The look of disgust on Haechan's face when he realizes it's coffee is worth it.

"Are you doing anything interesting?" Haechan asks, looking at the computer sitting on Mark's other side. "Or is it boring homework?"

"It's homework," Mark tells him with a laugh. "For my audio engineering class." He can't really work on it and hang out with Haechan at the same time, since he needs his headphones in, but he hadn't been planning on getting it done tonight anyway. "But I wanted to show you something."

Haechan grunts noncommittally, but Mark knows he's curious, even if he's trying to look like he's falling asleep.

When Mark opens his messages with his mom, Haechan makes a sound in his throat like his dying and nearly elbows Mark in the kidney.

Baby pictures: nothing is more powerful.

"Where did you get these?" Haechan — Donghyuck — demands. He's sitting up now, staring at Mark's computer, stupefied.

Mark just grins conspiratorially.

His mom had found the photos easily, and even messaged Donghyuck's mother on Facebook to see how she was doing, and mom's love nothing more than talking about their children. There was a price to get these photos, of course, and Mark has to live with knowing that Donghyuck would have access to his ugly middle school photos should he ask for them, but it was worth it.

"I thought I burned all evidence of me wearing that cheerleading uniform," Donghyuck huffs, leaning over Mark and scrolling through the blackmail. Out of all of them, the one with baby Donghyuck in the giant cheerleading dress is one of Mark's favorites, because it's adorable and terrible, much like Donghyuck himself.

"I also have prom photos," Mark adds idly, laughing at Donghyuck's growing look of horror.

"You're the worst person I've _ever_ met," Donghyuck hisses. "And I've met _me_."

"Come on." Mark's face is growing warm from laughing so much, but he's proud of himself for finally solving the puzzle. "They're cute."

Nothing has ever shut Donghyuck up that quickly. He closes his mouth with a snap, and it's a moment before he says anything else. "First you forget about me and then you hold my pre-glo up pictures against me. This is incredible."

"I think they're all cute," Mark tells him honestly. "And I didn't forget you."

Donghyuck is unimpressed. "Liar."

Mark shakes his head. "You really think you look the same as you did in elementary school? You're a baby, but you're not that much of a baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Donghyuck protests, shoving at Mark's side until he's knocked off the couch. "You're the baby!"

"Lee Donghyuck is the biggest baby," Mark announces to the empty common room.

Somehow, that's what sobers Donghyuck. "It..." He scratches his neck. "It's nice when you say my name."

Mark is full of something warm, like butterflies. Gross. "You could have just told me."

"This was more fun," Donghyuck says petulantly. He's flushed, his hair askew from laying on Mark's lap, and he's pouting. There's gloss on his lips again. Mark knows because he's staring. "So. This is why you wanted a prize — because you figured it out."

Mark has never felt so proud of himself. "Yep."

"Well?" Donghyuck smiles, and it's shy. "You gonna take it?"

"You gonna let me?" Mark asks.

The answer is a resounding yes.

 

* * *

 

Donghyuck's lipgloss is strawberry flavored. It suits them both.

 

* * *

  

**Donghyuck Hateful ♥**

You are so fucking lame  
Did you really go to the bathroom just to change your relationship status of Facebook????

Listen this is important MY MOM NEEDS TO KNOW  
ALSO MY FATHER AND TAEYONG, MY OTHER FATHER

"Mark Lee is the most ridiculous boy ever" write that down

IM SORRY I'm excited?? Aren't you excited???  
:((((((

Don't put words in my mouth

:))))))  
"Lee Donghyuck is the most beautiful boy ever"

(✿◕ ᄋ ◕)

Wait was that too soon because if it's too soon I take it back!!!1!!  
Everything is fine

The real question is why you're still in the bathroom when I'm out here by myself u.u

Points have been made brb

 

* * *

 

 

College is a time of great change, but the biggest change is that before Mark had a crush and now he has Donghyuck.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a hermit but [we can still be friends](https://twitter.com/fuIImarks)


End file.
